Which telescope, launched in 1990, was named after the American astronomer Edwin Hubble?

The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, was named after the American astronomer Edwin Hubble.

Hubble was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on 24 April 1990 and deployed into low Earth orbit the following day. It was designed to observe the universe above Earth’s atmosphere, avoiding atmospheric blurring that affects ground-based telescopes.

An incorrectly shaped primary mirror initially produced blurred images. Astronauts corrected the problem during the first servicing mission in 1993 by installing corrective optics and upgraded instruments. Subsequent servicing missions expanded the telescope’s capabilities.

Hubble has contributed to measurements of the universe’s expansion, observations of distant galaxies, studies of star formation, and images of planets and nebulae. The James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021, is a separate observatory optimized especially for infrared observations and does not replace Hubble in every kind of research.